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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hand — in cards
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bank — for money
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — of a river
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. key — in music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. key — the most important part
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. branch — a division
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com